Analytics for Startups Part 4: Tips for B2B Analysis and Those Looking for Investors

Many non-ecommerce business might have trouble understanding the value in using analytics right out of the gate. In reality, understanding the interest, business opportunities and the lead generation funnel is MORE accessible. But, you have data and are tracking marketing efforts appropriately. How do I understand ROI and get a better sense of my non-converting opportunity.

1. Create a conversion goal.

As described in Part 3 for e-commerce goal setup, create a conversion funnel for getting to your Contact Form(s) through Thank You page. As a reminder, this will be most easily set up if each step has its own URL. What you are looking for here is where most users are leaving the Lead Gen process.

2. See what markets have the most traction.

Go to Audience > Geo > Location (highlighted orange in the right rail navigation). From there click the country you desire and you will get a screen with the Primary Dimensions seen below. As businesses continue to move outside core downtown areas, I recommend using the METRO view as it combines all the traffic from the cities, similar to markets in a media buy.

3. Identify businesses that are interested but not converting.

Go to Audience > Technology > Network (highlighted orange in the right navigation). You will probably see a list of big telecom/wireless providers. What you don't see is that large companies with their own networks can be identified with the right filtering.

To filter the list, use the advanced search above the table. It will expand and use the settings below to choose "Exclude" "Service Provider" Matching RegEx". In the Search field...

...copy and paste this string:

(not set)|telecom|cable|earthlink|internet|communications|wideopenwest|broadband|time warner|spectrum|at&t|verizon|sprint|wide open west|service provider|comcast|telenet|embarq|teleservices|scansafe|cingular|spcsdns|telekom|spectra|wireless|frontiernet|windstream

Click APPLY and you should have a new list, where you start to see some big names.

The string is a Regular Expression that should filter out many of the major telecom and wireless providers. Add to the list if needed by simply putting a "|" and the name of the Provider.

4. Isolate those business profiles on each view as a Secondary Dimension.

The goal of the previous exercise (#3) was to get a list of potential brand relationships. To understand what they are interested in, you will need to use the Secondary Dimension.

Now that you've identified the businesses, search the data for that Provider. Then, use the secondary dimension to understand traffic. A couple to use off the bat:

• Source/Medium - How is that business finding you? If you have goals set up you can see conversions by channel on the right.
• Landing Page - What content drew the business into your site?
• Device Category - Are they mobile or desktop viewers?

You can also find the Providers through Secondary Dimensions on other pages, but it is called "Network Domain." On the Acquisition > All Traffic > Channels page below, you see where to find and enter that parameter.

From there, just do an advanced search to "Include" "Network Domain" "Contains" and enter the name of your identified Business in the search box.

There are other tips and tricks to find info in Analytics, or even CRM integrations that allow more personalized information and tracking.

But, now you're armed!

With the list of target opportunities identified, you are off and running. If you aren't seeing conversions, you might want to dig a little deeper to understand both the sales cycle and if the User Experience isn't optimal from a content or interaction standpoint.

Coming Soon! Start Evaluating Your UX